Letter-box



(N70 Model.)

U. G. STANNARD.

LETTER BOX.

"Patented Jan. '6

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ULYSSES G. TANNARD, OF MILTON, \VISCONSIN.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,257, dated January6, 1891.

Application filed October 6, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ULYssEs G. STANNARD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Milton, in the county of Rock, and in the State ofWVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction andcombination of parts, to be hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, and subsequent ly claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical transverse section online 1 l of the succeeding figure and illustrates a mail-box constructedaccording to my invention and in position for use; Fig. 2,a horizontalsection on the line 2 2 of the preceding figure; Fig.

3, a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 1a

detail elevation of certain of the parts.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents a portion of a door orother suitable support, and to the outside of this support I rigidlysecure a receptacle B, preferably inclined at the top in order to shedrain or snow. This top of the receptacle is provided with eyes I), thatserve as supports for a rod 0, and coiled around the rod are the ends ofa springwire loop 0, the latter serving as a means for holdingnewspapers or bulky packages on said receptacle. One wall of thereceptacle B has a slot d cut therein, near the top, to serve as anentrance for letters, this construction being common in the art to whichmy invention relates. That wall of the receptacle farthest from thesupport A is hung on hinges e to form a door D, having a rectangularinwardly-extended flange f, that, when the door is closed, comes withinother flanges g, extending in from the remaining walls and the bottom ofsaid receptacle, and so much of said door beyond the flange f closesagainst the flanges g, this construction serving as a means to excluderain, snow, and dust from the aforesaid receptacle.

Extended inward from the door D is a catch E for engagement with an eyeF on one end of a rod G, loosely arranged in suitable bearings h andextended through the rear wall of the receptacle and its support, thelatter be in g provided with a plate H, having an open- Serial No.367,162. (No model.)

ing therein that serves as one of the bearings for said rod. That end ofthe rod adjacent to the inside of the support is provided with a crankI, and this crank is of sufficient weight to automatically return saidrod to its normal position after being partially rotated to disengageits eye F from the catch E on the inside of the door D of the receptacleabove described, although a weight elsewhere on the rod or a spring maybe employed for the same purpose. The plate H on the support A isprovided with a lug J, that serves as a stop to oppose the crank I onthe rod G when the latter is in its normal position, whereby said dooris locked against a pull from the. outside.

To open the door of the receptacle, the operator gives the crank I anupward turn to thereby partially rotate the rod G and bring its eye Fout of engagement with the catch E on the inside of said door, and saidcrank being away from the lug J on the plate H said rod is pushedagainst said door to start the latter on its hinges.

By the above-described construction and operation it will be seen thatthe receptacle for letters can onlybe opened from the inside of itssupport, and if found desirable said door may be provided with a slot 1'for engagement with a lugj on an adjacent wall of said receptacle, thislug being in turn provided with an opening 71) to engage a padlock, (notshown,) whereby additional security for the contents of the aforesaidreceptacle is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mail-receptacle and its support, a door forming that portion of thereceptacle farthest from the support and provided with aninwardly-extended catch, and a rotary adjustable sliding rod extendedthrough the support and adjacent wall of said receptacle and providedwith an eye for engagement with said catch, substantially as set forth.

2. A mail-receptacle and its support, a door forming that portion of thereceptacle farthest from the support and provided with aninwardly-extended catch, a rotary adjustable sliding rod extendedthroughthe support and adjacent wall of said receptacle, an eye on the rod forengagement with the catch, and suit able means for returning said rod tits normal position after havingbeen rotarily adjusted to disengage saideye and catch, substantially as set forth.

3. A mail-receptacle and its support, a door formingthat portion of thereceptacle farthest from he support and provided with aninwardly-extended catch, a rotary adjustable sliding rod extendedthrough the support and adjacent wall of the receptacle and providedwith an eye forengagement with the catch, a weighted crank on that endof the rod adjacent to said support, and a stop opposed to said crankwhen the latter is in its normal position, substantially as set forth.

4-. A mailrcccptacle and its support, a door forming part of thereceptacle nd provided with an inwardly-extended catch, a rotaryadjustable sliding; rod extended through the support and adjacent wallof said receptacle, a device carried by the rod for engagement with saidcatch, and suitable means for preventing; longitudinal movement of therod when the latter is in its normal position, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilton, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ULYSSES G. STANNARD.

Witnesses:

A. W. CRANE, E. P. CLARKE.

